computer science

Ultracomputer

Ultracomputer is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ultracomputer rather than just read about it. In short: The New York University's Ultracomputer is a significant processor design in the history of parallel computing. The system has N processors, N memories, and an N log N message-passing switch connecting them.

Key takeaways

Ultracomputer belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ultracomputer to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ultracomputer from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The New York University's Ultracomputer is a significant processor design in the history of parallel computing. The system has N processors, N memories, and an N log N message-passing switch connecting them. The system supported an innovative fetch-and-add process coordination instruction, and the custom VLSI network switches could combine references (including fetch-and-adds) from several processors into a single reference, to reduce memory contention. The machine was developed in the 1980s at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences Computer Science Department, based on a concept developed by Jacob T. Schwartz. Most of the work done was theoretical, but two prototypes were built:

An 8-processor bus-based machine A 16-processor, 16 memory-module machine with custom VLSI switches supporting the fetch-and-add instruction. Ultracomputer technology was the basis for the IBM Research Research Parallel Processor Prototype (RP3), an experimental parallel computer that supported 512 processing nodes. A 64-node system was built at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in the late 1980s.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ultracomputer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ultracomputer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ultracomputer before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ultracomputer ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ultracomputer

In research: Ultracomputer appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ultracomputer in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ultracomputer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1980s in computing, Computer hardware stubs, Parallel computing, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ultracomputer outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ultracomputer in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ultracomputer means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ultracomputer out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ultracomputer in simple terms?

Why does Ultracomputer matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ultracomputer?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ultracomputer.